Public Finance

Effectively structuring and closing public finance transactions is critical to the success of every public entity and public-private partnership involved in facilities and infrastructure projects. A legal partner thoroughly knowledgeable in these transactions helps to lay the foundation required to fund everything from highways and hospitals, to schools and stadiums.

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi's nationally recognized Public Finance Group has been delivering effective results for its clients for nearly three decades. Our firm’s full-service capabilities in related disciplines, such as tax, corporate and securities, banking, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, environmental, litigation and real estate, allow us to efficiently deliver in-depth counsel for complex, specialized matters. As a result, we work with clients on all types of public finance transactions, including bond and note financings, interest rate hedging transactions, 501(c)(3) matters, tax credit transactions, and financings involving private activity bonds. Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi's successful track record in the public finance sector is the result of representing issuers, underwriters, trustees and owners in complex transactions for many years. Our attorneys understand the statutory parameters of various bond financing options, the timing issues arising from the process, and the structures of current market transactions. We also recognize issues that are unique to the financing of each specific facility in the marketplace, and proactively identify trends and risk factors that may impact the matter.

Our clients include governmental debt issuers of every size and type, investment banks, domestic and international banks, corporations, non-profits and developers. Since our appointment in 1982 as bond counsel to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, we have served as bond counsel in numerous transactions for the state and its independent authorities and agencies, and have handled all aspects of tax-exempt and taxable financings. These include primary revenue financings for various authorities responsible for overseeing improvements to utilities, health care facilities, schools, housing and infrastructure. Our bond counsel clients have included:

State of New Jersey

New Jersey Building Authority

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority

New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency

New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority

New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority

New Jersey Turnpike Authority

Casino Reinvestment Development Authority

South Jersey Transportation Authority

Atlantic County Utilities Authority

Bergen County Improvement Authority

Camden County Improvement Authority

Essex County

Essex County Improvement Authority

Lambertville Municipal Utilities Authority

Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority

Salt River Project, Arizona

Numerous local government bodies

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi is recognized in the Bond Buyer’s Directory of Municipal Bond Dealers of the United States as qualified to render opinions in connection with the sale of state and local bonds. We routinely approve the validity of bonds and notes measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi has also acted as underwriter’s counsel in numerous transactions at the state and local levels, including financings by the following issuers:

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority

New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority

New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority

New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority

New Jersey Turnpike Authority

County of Middlesex

Camden County Improvement Authority

Middlesex County Improvement Authority

The firm also serves as trustee’s counsel in public finance transactions.

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi's Public Finance Group has extensive experience in redevelopment projects and multifamily and single-family housing projects, including serving as bond counsel and developer’s counsel. Our experience in financings for private schools includes in-depth knowledge of the legal implications of borrowing tax-exempt funds in conjunction with capital fundraising activities.

In 2013, the Public Finance Group was recognized by the New Jersey Law Journal as the top bond counsel in the state for public financings during the first half of the year. The firm was credited with advising on more than $2.8 billion in financings during the first six months of 2013. According to data provided by Thomson Reuters, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi had more than 30% of the market share (based on par amounts) during this period. On the national level, The Bond Buyer ranked Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi among the top 10 law firms in the United States in its listing of “Top Bond Counsel: Negotiated Issues” for the first quarter of 2013.

Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi was also the leading law firm for New Jersey public financings during the first six months of 2012, according to a report published by the New Jersey Law Journal and based on principal amount of bonds issued. In addition, the firm ranked fourth nationally in The Bond Buyer’s list of “Top Bond Counsel” for the first quarter of 2011.